In his
State of the State speech, Governor Lincoln Chafee declared this "the year of the cities and towns" and promised to work to relieve the burden on property taxpayers. "People who have worked hard and played by the rules their entire lives are worried because they may be one property tax payment away from losing their home or business," he said in the Jan. 31 speech. "We must reverse this trend." In the days afterward, the governor reiterated this commitment. During a
Feb. 3 appearance on Channel 12’s "Newsmakers," Chafee pointed to the negative effects of an increasing reliance on property taxes in Rhode Island’s economically distressed communities -- Central Falls, West Warwick, Pawtucket and, of course, Providence. "And no wonder there’s empty stores in Providence," he said. "The commercial property tax is second highest in the country behind Detroit." The issue of property taxes has come to the fore in Providence with the ongoing fight between the financially struggling city and its tax-exempt nonprofits. Providence leans heavily on tax payments from businesses and residents to raise revenue. But is the city’s commercial property tax really the nation’s second highest?
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